We Danced
by purplepagoda
Summary: Goren picks his partner up from a bar. Inebriated she makes him dance with her. In a drunken state she rambles on about things he doesn't know. Will the truth finally come out. What will happen when he takes her home for the night? Probably a one shot.
1. We Danced

The bar was nearly empty. In a few minutes it would be last call. He slips into the seat next to her. He orders a drink from the bartender.

"What are you doing here?" she questions.

"I could ask you the same. Word on the street is that my former partner is here getting hammered, that she's been at it all afternoon."

"Someone lied to you," she slurs.

"Alex you're a wreck."

A song comes on. "Dance with me," she begs.

"One song," he agrees.

He helps her off the barstool. He walks closely behind her as she teeters onto the dance floor. He reaches for her. She gets as close as she can. He twirls her around the floor. She rests her head on him. When the song ends he tries to lead her off the dance floor.

"I'm not going. One more dance."

"Alex they want us to leave. They'd like to close."

"You never let me have any fun," she accuses, belligerently.

"I don't?"

"No."

"I'm sorry. I think that I should take you home. We'll discuss this when you're in a clearer state of mind."

"No I want to discuss it now."

"Alex, lower your voice."

"No. I'd like you to just listen for once."

"Ok," he nods, "What would you like to say?"

"I hate when you treat me like I can't handle myself. I did fine before I met you."

"I know. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I wish you weren't so stubborn, and..."

"And what?"

"I wish that I wasn't your partner."

"You're not my partner anymore. It really hurts me that you feel that way."

"It shouldn't. It's a compliment."

"Really? How so?"

"If we weren't partners there wouldn't be so many rules."

"Of course not. What's your point Eames?"

"Bobby my name is Alex, or Alexandra, why do you have to call me Eames? I'm your best friend."

"I'm sorry Alex."

"I wish you listened better."

"Why?"

"Then you'd know how I feel."

"About what?"

"About you," she answers.

"What about me? Are you mad at me for all of the trouble I've caused you? All the lies I've made you tell? You're mad because I betrayed your trust."

"No. Just shut up. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? For what?"

"That you don't know."

"Know what?"

"That I'm in love with you."

"Don't be silly Alex."

"Silly you know what's silly? The other day I was at home doodling on a napkin, and I doodled my married name, your name. Like a little school girl, isn't that silly?"

"I think that I should take you home, before you say something else that you'll regret tomorrow."

"No. I won't even remember tomorrow. So I should tell you everything now."

"Everything? What else is there?"

"I wish you were my husband that would be nice. You always protect me, and... Bobby I don't feel so good."

He leads her to a nearby trash can. She pukes, and he leads her out of the bar. He carries her to her car, and drives her toward her apartment.

"Alex how much did you have to drink?"

"I don't remember. I had a shot or two."

"I've never seen you this..."

"I usually don't drink."

"Why not?"

"Because I do stupid things, that I don't remember later. Once I was at a wedding, and they served these delicious cocktails. I guess I had too many because the next day when I woke up I felt like I had been run over by a garbage truck. My friend told me that I danced on the tables."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I know everything about you. You should know more about me."

"Like what?"

"Um... what was I saying?"

He pulls up to the curb, and kills the engine. He carefully removes Alex from the passenger's seat. He carries her into the building, and waits on the elevator. When the elevator stops on her floor he carries her to her door. He unlocks the door with her keys. He carries her to her bed, and lies her down. He slips off her jacket, and shoes.

"Are you comfortable?"

"No. I'm hot," she begins to undress.

He walks out of the room. He grabs a garbage can and a trash bag. He sits it next to her bed. "Alex I'm going to stay on the couch. I wouldn't want you to fall out a window, or venture out on your own."

"I love you Bobby."

"No..."

"I do. If you stay til morning I'll tell you then."

"Why don't you try to get some rest?"

Alex ventures out of her room at noon. She finds a cup of tea waiting for her on the counter. She finds Bobby sitting on her couch reading a newspaper.

"Good morning sunshine."

"Not so loud."

"I'm sorry. Are you still hungover?"

"My head is killing me."

He gets off the couch, and goes into the kitchen with her. He takes a seat on her counter.

"Why aren't there are blankets on my bed?"

"I had to take them all."

"Why?"

"You threw up everywhere. You just kept barfing, I didn't think that it was ever going to stop."

"How much did I have to drink last night?"

"I don't know. I just made sure that you made it home safely."

"Why did you stay?"

"I didn't want you to aspirate on your own vomit or anything."

"What sort of crazy things did I say last night?"

"You don't remember?"

"Did I make you dance with me?"

"Yes. And then you proceeded to profess your love for me. That was just one crazy rambling."

"I must have had tequila."

"And then you got home and you said you were hot, so you started stripping out of your clothes. After a while I finally convinced you to put that on," he points to her ensemble.

She looks at the clothes an NYPD t-shirt.

"I'm sorry you had to witness all of that."

"Do you know how I convinced you to put that on?"

"No," she shakes her head wearily.

"I told you that your father would be home soon and he'd ground you if he found you without something other than undergarments on."

"I'm sorry."

"Alex it's ok. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't do anything stupid."

"Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"I did do something stupid, but not last night."

"What's that?"

"I should have told you before."

"Told me what before?"

"You shouldn't have had to hear it that way."

"Hear what?"

"The truth," she answers.

"And what is that?"

"I need you, I always have."

"What are you saying?"


	2. Not A Moment Too Soon

"I don't know," she shrugs.

"This is me you're talking to," he reminds her.

"I used to love a nice quiet evening, and now I can't stand it. I'm so used to your voice overtaking the quiet that..."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I just..."

"Why did you have so much to drink last night."

"I just wanted to go out and have fun, just once."

"How did that work out for you?"

"It didn't. I started drinking and then I just felt worse. I wished that you were there with me."

"Because you know I'm an entertaining drunk?" he tries to give her an out.

"It's irrational to miss you so much."

"No it's not. We were partners for nine years."

"But now we're not."

"So what do you want to do about it?"

"I don't know. I'm tired of being alone."

"And you ran out of options?"

"I just keep coming back to you."

"Why?"

"If I could answer that I would."

"Alex you like to be in the driver's seat, so drive."

"I just want to know."

"To know what?"

"What it would be like. What it would be like if we weren't partners if we were..."

"If we were what?"

"If we didn't have to hide behind a line of professionalism. If we could do whatever we wanted."

"We can."

"I'm scared," she admits.

"Of what?"

"Ruining everything. We can't go back."

"Alex stop battling your demons, and just listen to your heart for once."

"I want to be with you."

"Be with me?"

"I want to be with you everyday for the rest of my life," she reveals.

"I think that you're still intoxicated."

"I'm fine."

"Alex I would... I wish that I could give you what you want."

"Why can't you?"

"I don't want to screw up either. I don't want to lose you. I can't guarantee that I won't do something that will make you want to walk away. I'm not good enough for you."

"Have you ever been good enough for anyone? Maybe you're just not good enough for you."

"You really want this? I've got a lot of baggage."

"And I don't?" she retorts.

"Alex loving me is like hoping to catch ebola, it will only end badly."

"I'll take my chances."

"On me?"

"Why not?"

"Aren't you tired of covering my ass? Having my back all the time? If I were you I wouldn't even talk to me. I've put you through so much..."

"I've been waiting for nine years for you to see it. I thought that you would see it, and everything would fall into place."

"I saw it a long time ago."

"So why didn't you do anything? When have you ever sat by and let an opportunity pass you by? That's not the Bobby Goren I know."

"I don't want to hurt you. I hate to see you hurt."

"I'm not easily broken."

"If anyone could do it, it would be me."

"I'm going to make you miserable."

"I'm miserable now, it's a chance that I'm willing to take."

"Alex I'm no good for you."

She walks over to him. She looks into his eyes, "Don't do this. Don't walk away from me, not again."

He can hear the pain in her voice. He can see the hurt in her eyes. He can feel her pain. He gets off the counter. He inches towards her.

"Don't go," her voice quivers.

He clenches his jaw, trying to break down in front of her. He takes a deep breath, and tells her, "You know that if you get stuck with me it will be for life. I might go off the deep end."

"I'm not afraid to have you committed," her lips curl into a devilish smile.

"You should have shot me when you had the chance. Why didn't you do it? You didn't even know what was going on..."

"It didn't matter. You were my partner. I trust you with my life. If you had gone rogue I would have known. I would have been able to tell."

"You think I would have shot you?"

"I would have felt it. I would have seen it in your face as I pointed a gun at you."

"And what did you see?" he questions.

"I saw fear. Not fear that I would shoot you, but fear that I would never trust you again. I saw helplessness, because you were afraid that there wasn't anything you could do or say to get me back."

"I'm foolish," he admits.

"I know."

"You shouldn't have stayed. You should have run. You should have requested a new partner, and never looked back."

"I couldn't. I was in too deep to ever go back."

"I guess sometimes being partners is like working for the mob. You know too much to ever be able to leave."

"Bobby I don't care who you think you are. I know you, sometimes I think, better than you know yourself."

"Sometimes you do."

"I can read you like a book."

"I can read you by your looks," he replies.

"I would hope so."

"I bought you something," he admits.

"When?"

"This morning."

"When? What did you buy me?"

"Look in the microwave," he answers.

She turns, and opens the white microwave sitting on the counter. She pulls out a piece of wax paper with a pastry inside. She closes the microwave door and places the pasty on the counter.

"A danish," she smiles from three feet away from him.

He closes the gap between them. She looks up at him, waiting for him to make a move, any move. With no warning he envelopes her in a hug. She holds tightly to his big warm body. He kisses the top of her head. After several moments he lets go of her. They stand half a footstep apart. He stares at her with big brown eyes. "I'll never leave you," he admits. Her eyes light up, but she doesn't ruin the moment with words. She takes a breath of relief. He smiles, and adds, "Who else would be as willing as I am, to feed your danish addiction?" She shakes her head. She steps closer to him. She wraps her arms around him, and presses her head against his torso. She stands frozen, for minutes, just listening to him breathing.


End file.
